MOMBASA, Kenya — MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan officials destroyed a massive methamphetamine shipment valued at roughly $63 million on Thursday, nearly a year after it was seized in the Indian Ocean off Mombasa’s coast.
The 1,024‑kilogram (about 2,257‑pound) consignment was loaded into a high‑temperature kiln and incinerated while government officials looked on.
Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen supervised the destruction and warned traffickers that authorities would intensify efforts to dismantle the illicit trade.
Murkomen noted that Kenya serves both as a transit point and a domestic market for illegal drugs, promising stronger enforcement to curb trafficking and substance abuse.
He added that suspects would face prosecution and that authorities would move to confiscate assets tied to the drug trade.
The Kenyan Navy intercepted the shipment on October 25, 2025, roughly 630 kilometers (391 miles) offshore from Mombasa in the Indian Ocean, and escorted the vessel to port under armed guard.
Six Iranian nationals arrested aboard the unflagged vessel remain in court, facing drug‑trafficking charges.
Officials called the seizure of over a ton of methamphetamine a significant breakthrough in Kenya’s battle against narcotics trafficking.
The interception occurs amid rising concerns about synthetic drugs along the coast, where health and law‑enforcement agencies have reported an uptick in methamphetamine and heroin‑related problems.
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